Raithwaite Hall in Sandsend, North Yorkshire is all set and ready, after a £30 million redesign effort, to open its doors for its canine guests and become UK’s first dedicated dog hotel and spa. They started taking human guests two weeks ago and a 28-room ‘dog hotel’ with dedicated spa facilities including hydrotherapy pool, grooming, special food and the slightly ominous-sounding obedience classes is also getting ready and should be fully functional by autumn. It is being developed in a separate building called The Keep. It will have suites for humans with a special area for dogs to sleep in. They are sure to make it to the top 10 pet hotels.
Raithwaite Hall estate is owned by Skelwith Group. Their managing director, Paul Ellis believes that they would be able to match the guest experience of their human hotel in the new dog hotel. There are good hotels that cater to the children but not many who look after the dogs who are after all an important part of the family. Raithwaite Hall hopes to correct that. The hotel is being managed by West Paces hotel group from the US. They will be marketing the hotel in the US in order to attract an established clientele for whom dog holidays are a norm.
Dog holidays is a relatively new concept for UK. Most hotels don’t allow dogs to stay with their owners. The segment is poised for growth in a country with a large population of dogs. The hoteliers and guesthouse owners are alert to the potential. The number of UK households with dogs has overtaken cats for the first time in UK with an estimated 8.3 million dogs in the UK.
Via: guardian
